I have a day job but I also work from home with my consulting job. There are many distractions and potential problems when you choose to work from home but there are also many tools and gadgets to make things easier for. I could easily make this a 50 item list but who has time for that. So this list is not comprehensive but it’s a nice mix of gadgets and tools to help you when you work from home. To be upfront, the links below are affiliate links.
1. NeatDesk Desktop Scanner and Organization Software
We all have tons of receipts and scraps of paper we need to save. My desk is lined covered in them. NeatDesk lets you scan receipts, business cards, or documents in and the software uses OCR to read the data and file it away so you can use the data. You can sync business cards to Outlook or receipts to Quicken or Excel. NeatDesk has the potential to save you tons of time.
2. SAYL Chair By Herman Miller
If you sit at a desk all day then you know the importance of a comfy desk chair. For those of us who work from home at a desk we need to invest in a very comfy chair. Herman Miller used smart engineering with the Sayl Chair to keep the costs down while providing a very comfortable experience. It’s certainly worth it.
3. WalkStation Treadmill Desk
I have a desk job….which is why I needed that nifty chair. I also have an affinity for unhealthy food and soda. This is not a good combination. That’s where this next gadget comes in. I could never convince my employer to buy one of these for me but when I work from home I could use this. I’m not sure how coordinated I could be to work on my computer while walking on the treadmill. But just image how far you would walk if you walked at a slow pace for just half the time every day…4 hours would add up quickly.
4. Multi Device Bluetooth Keyboard
When I work from home I have an iPad, Windows Tablet, laptop, and a desktop all going at the same time. This little gadget is great because you can control up to three bluetooth devices using this keyboard. This is great because I don’t have bluetooth on my desktop. I can control both tablets and the laptop using one keyboard. The little cradle at the top works great for tablets or smartphones. And I always go for wireless keyboards…I hate cables.
5. BlueLounge CableBox Mini
I absolutely hate messy cables….didn’t I mention that already? I am able to hide my cables at work using my desk. But my desk at home is open so there’s nowhere to hide them. Studies have shown that a messy desk is distracting and makes it more difficult for people to be productive. That’s why I included the BlueLounge CableBox on my list of gadgets for those who work from home. This box even includes a surge protector. Just stuff your cables inside the box and the mess is hidden inside and you have a decluttered desk.
